slid into snow bank this AM

[mfn1194]

Did something VERY stupid this morning.... I took a turn very aggressively (at low speed) going down hill. VDC could not help....went up onto a curb, into a solid ice snow bank (from previous snow). The VDC did not to help, just flashed "spin", I turned the wheel but car continued in straight direction up and onto the curb.

Anyway waiting to hear back from body shop on estimate. Thought I'd do some research while I wait. The bottom or lower bumper cover broke and cracked.

Bodyshop said there appears to be no other damage. He is going to replace lower bumper cover and paint it. Trying to find out how much that lower bumer cover costs, so i can see if he's being honest. Im sure there will also be labor to remove and paint.

Thanks

[G_whizz]

YIKES!!! Sorry to hear...glad you are ok.

I guess going downhill would affect the VDC, it kinda becomes gravity and momentum at that point.

Yours actually flashed SPIN not SLIP??

Hope it's not costly for ya!

[joe603]

Did you try and mash the brakes? I'm curious to find out if the VDC becomes more aggressive if the brakes are applied.

[mfn1194]

Yeah, I forget if it flashed spin or slip... i think slip.

does anyone know a link, where i can see how much that lower bumper cover costs ? aftermarket or otherwise.

VDC can't overcome the laws of gravity. I guess this is considered "understeer" . I had wheel turned to left, but car continued straight ...right up onto the curb.

This was really low speed, but the ice pile up on the curb did not budge. So the plastic bumper cover broke. They should make those things more flexible.

[joe603]

Front bumper? When you replace it, get a clear bra installed...mine is full of nasty chips from rocks. It would be a great time to go aftermarket...might be cheaper than stock.

http://www.z1auto.com/prodmore...=1033

https://www.stillen.com/produc...&c=EX

The VDC wouldn't kick in unless you started to move sideways. Anti-lock should have helped...but in clear ice, there isn't much you can do.

[mfn1194]

Thanks for the link.

But im trying to find ways to do this a cheap as possible.

Want to locate inexpensive aftermarket bumper cover.

[J-Owner]

I had someone hit me in the parking lot of Kroger. (Didn't leave a note of course). They just scraped a large area of my bumper and damaged part of the grill.

I used the dealers body shop and they fixed my original bumper as the damage was minor and repainted it and put it back on.

So, I don't know what the actual bumper costs but my cost to repaint it was about $575.

I hope that helps on the paint cost anyway. Sorry to hear about that but accidents happen....what can you do.

[mfn1194]

Update: Got my quote from Auto body shop.

$291 for bumper cover and $439 for labor and painting.

around $731.00 an expensive morning, for a cheap thrill of trying to make car spin out. next time an empty parking lot....if there is a next time.

BTW - I'm a former BMW owner. Loved the Bimmer, but for the money the G35 is just as good. And probably will be better in long run, in terms of reliabity and cost of ownership as the car ages.

[initiald711]

i did the same thing years ago to a g35 coupe with 7 miles on it.i cracked the headlight also though,and i hit a tree.no technology will help,car is too heavy and snow is soooooo slippery.i scared to road test any g coupe with snow or rain,and i drift my personals.

[G35XNYC]

i've had my 07 35x for a week now and hit the road in staten island this morning with some light snow on the ground. traction felt pretty good around corners at a decent speed...although i wasn't going down any hills. don't get too crazy, it's too nice a car to bang up!

also, i work in car insurance claims, so i can look up the actual oem cost w/full paint for the bumper. i'll try to remember to post in the morning if i remember...minds been playing tricks lately so no promises, lol.

[G_whizz]

Acid flashbacks eh!!

[C-Kwik]

From my understanding, VDC reacts based on inputs from the ABS sensors and steering wheel. Basically, it trys to sense when the car is losing or has lost traction and takes measures to try and regain traction. As to how aggressively VDC will react...well, it's possible, especially in the case of the ABS engaging, that it may provide less braking. Afterall, if you are braking too hard for a given amount of traction, it needs to ease the brake up so that tires get out of lock-up.

In this case, snow/ice, along with the vehicle's speed and desired turning radius was not going to allow the car to make it, VDC or not.

[C-Kwik]

also, i work in car insurance claims, so i can look up the actual oem cost w/full paint for the bumper. i'll try to remember to post in the morning if i remember...minds been playing tricks lately so no promises, lol.

I was a claims adjuster (inside) for the better part of the last 10 years. I've recently left the industry and have decided to further my education to pursue something better. Claims is fun but it's a grind of a job. Nice to have another claims person aboard.

[G35XNYC]

didn't get a chance to look up that bumper price...sorry about that.

claims is not that fun, i've been a supervisor for 2 years and it is often miserable, but the pay is decent so i can't really make a change right now.

[G35XNYC]

I know this is a little late, but I got the estimate for a new rear cover with full paint time. estimate came to $717.61

That price is with a NY labor rate of $45/hour.

[C-Kwik]

claims is not that fun, i've been a supervisor for 2 years and it is often miserable, but the pay is decent so i can't really make a change right now.

I hear you there. I tend to like to debate and investigate so the work itself suited me well. But the workload was always unreasonable. Claims was much different 10 years ago. No regrets though. I learned a lot from the industry.